"Eligible Employee" means any Employee of an Institution who is appointed or employed on or after July 1, 1990, and who holds a position as defined herein and is eligible for membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi (sometimes hereafter referred to as PERS).
Teaching positions include:
(a) All persons whose specific assignments customarily include conducting instruction, research or public service as a principal activity (or activities), and who hold academic-rank titles of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer, and/or research scientist.(b) Employees hired on or after August 1, 1998, as librarians with academic rank as well as intercollegiate coaches, with or without academic rank.(c) Employees hired on or after July 1, 2001, in the following categories:(1) an intern or resident in training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center or the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University under a teaching program at such institution,(2) a post doctoral assistant/fellow at any Institution, or(3) a research scientist with or without academic rank whose specific assignments customarily include conducting research at any Institution.(d) Deans, associate deans, assistant deans, and executive officers of academic departments (chairmen, head or the equivalent) if their principal activity is instructional.(e) Teaching Positions do not include student teachers or research assistants. Administrative Faculty Positions include:
(a) Persons whose assignments require primary (and major) responsibility for management of the Institution or a customarily recognized department. Assignments require the performance of work directly related to management policies or general business operations of the Institution, department, or subdivision. It is assumed that assignments in this category customarily and regularly require the incumbent to exercise discretion and independent judgment and to direct the work of others.(b) The administrative faculty category is generally limited to officers holding such titles as president, vice president, and dean as well as officers subordinate to any of these administrators with such titles as associate dean, assistant dean, or executive officer of academic departments, (chairmen, head or the equivalent) if their principal activity is administrative.(c) Employees hired on or after August 1, 1998, as administrators with significant budgetary authority, including, but not limited to, athletic directors, shall be deemed to hold Administrative Faculty Positions.27 Miss. Code. R. 240-II-2.12